Identification of immune-related SNPs in the transcriptome of Mytilus chilensis through high-throughput sequencing

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified in coding regions represent a useful tool for understanding the immune response against pathogens and stressful environmental conditions. In this study, a SNPs database was generated from transcripts involved in the innate immune response of the mussel Mytilus chilensis. The SNPs were identified through hemocytes transcriptome sequencing from 18 individuals, and SNPs mining was performed in 225,336 contigs, yielding 20,306 polymorphisms associated to immune-related genes. Classification of identified SNPs was based on different pathways of the immune response for Mytilus sp. A total of 28 SNPs were identified in the Toll-like receptor pathway and included 5 non-synonymous polymorphisms; 19 SNPs were identified in the apoptosis pathway and included 3 non-synonymous polymorphisms; 35 SNPs were identified in the Ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis pathway and included 4 non-synonymous variants; and 54 SNPs involved in other molecular functions related to the immune response, such as molecular chaperones, antimicrobial peptides, and genes that interacts with marine toxins were also identified. The molecular markers identified in this work could be useful for novel studies, such as those related to associations between high-resolution molecular markers and functional response to pathogen agents.